The early recognition of dementia in the elderly: A preliminary communication about a longitudinal study using the gms–agecat package (community version)

✍ Scribed by J. R. M. Copeland; C. McWilliam; M. E. Dewey; D. Forshaw; R. Shiwach; R. T. Abed; M. S. Muthu; N. Wood

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 651 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.930010110

✦ Synopsis

A random community sample of 1070 subjects aged over 65 was interviewed by trained non-medical interviewers using the Geriatric Mental State, community version (GMSA). A sub-sample of 126 subjects was selected so as to contain possible early cases of dementia, pseudo-dementia, and normal subjects; and re-interviewed, a mean I year and 23 weeks later, by a group of psychiatrists in training. The computer diagnosis AGECAT. based on GMSA applied by non-medical raters, had predicted at initial interview, nine out of twelve cases of dementia at follow-up and five out of nine borderline cases. An OrganiciDepression Index may prove useful in predicting which of those cases with early organic levels will eventually develop dementia, depression or recover.